Documents / Hearing transcript
This is the printed record of a July 29, 1968 symposium on unidentified flying objects held by the Committee on Science and Astronautics of the U.S. House of Representatives, chaired by Rep. J. Edward Roush. The committee heard statements from six scientists: J. Allen Hynek, James E. McDonald, Carl Sagan, Robert L. Hall, James A. Harder and Robert M. L. Baker. It also printed papers from Donald Menzel, Stanton Friedman, Frank Salisbury and others. Hynek argued that puzzling UFO reports from competent witnesses deserve serious scientific study.
“The Advance”52 pages
209 understanding of these phenomena. If this method is not feasible, then I be-lieve that a national research center is needed for continuous, formal in- vestigation of the physical, biological, psycho -social, and spiritual implications of UFO phenomena. Establishment of a continuing research center could provide for those facili- ties, equipment, and personnel to conduct the necessary field work and theoreti- cal investigations of UFO reports. In my opinion, the staff of such a research center should be encouraged to avail themselves of scholars and experts in various disciplines, including astronomical, mathematical, physical, chemical, biological, medical, psychological, sociological, military, technical, legal, polit- ical, theological, and parapsychological fields of knowledge. I recognize some of the difficulties which attend such a proposal; I recognize some of the arguments which have been, are being, and will be raised against such a proposal. However, I trust that you gentlemen are aware that the pres- ent difficulties of enacting such a proposal are inconsequential when compared to the historical impact created by those persons who dare to exert that leader- ship which could determine the powers, purposes, and persons who control the spacecraft which we call "Unidentified Flying Objects." Thank you for your attention to these comments. I shall be most happy to respond to any question which you may have about these or related views.Respectfully submitted, R. LEO SPRINKLE, Ph. D. PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDES: A SURVEY OF PERSONS INTERESTED IN UFO REPORTS* (By R. Leo Sprinkle, University of Wyoming) SUMMARY A questionnaire survey was conducted among 3 groups: 26 Ph.D. faculty and graduate. students in a Psychology Department (Psychology); 59 graduate students enrolled in an NDEA Guidance Institute (Guidance) ; and 259 members of an organization which is interested in "flying saucers" or Unidentified FlyingObjects (UFOs), the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). It was hypothesized that there would be no differences between thescores of the three groups on the Personal Attitude Survey (Form D, Dogmatism Scale, Rokeach, 1960) and the Scientific Attitude Survey (Sprinkle, 1962). The results showed significant differences (P<.001 between the 3 groups with respect to their mean scores on both inventories, with the NICAP group scoring higher on both "dogmatic" and "scientific" inventories, followed by the Guidance group and Psychology group, respectively. Also, the survey showed differences in regard to social status and education. Psychology and Guidance subjects received an Index of Social Status (McGuire & White, 1955) which would classify them in the Upper Middle Class, while NICAP subjects would be classified mainly in the Upper Middle and Lower Middle Classes. The average years of education were tabulated as follows: Psychology, 18.8 years; Guidance, 17.2 years; and NICAP, 14.0 years. The results suggest that the NICAP group is more "dogmatic" and more "scientific" than the Psychology and Guidance groups. There are two feasible interpretations of these results: 1) The Scientific Attitude Survey ( Sprinkle, 1962) is not useful in assessing "scientific" attitudes, and/or 2) the two inven- troies have assessed the tendency of the 3 groups to exhibtt the "Yeasay-Naysay" pattern (Couch & Keniston, 1960). The latter interpretation indicates that there may be more "Yeasayers" (those with an agreeing response set or a readiness to affirm) in the NICAP group, followed by the Guidance group, and Psychology group, respectively. REFERENCES Couch, A., & Keniston, K. Yeasayers and naysayers : Agreeing response set as a personality variable. J. abnorm, soc. Psychol., 1960, 60, 151-174. McGuire, C., & White, G. D. The measurement of social status. Research paperin Human development, No. 3 (revised), Dept. of Educ. Psychol., Univ. of Texas, March 1955. Rokeach, M. The Open and Closed Mind. N.Y .: Basic Books, 1960. Sprinkle, R. L. Scientific Attitude Survey. (Unpublished attitude inventory), 1962. *This study was supported by the Grants in Aid Committee, the Society for the Psycho-logical Study of Social Issues, a division of the American Psychological Association.
Hearing transcript, from the govinfo collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 256 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.